RTS Mod Project(Glest Advanced Engine)

Cuathon

Note for mods: The reason I posted this on mmorpg.com is because it has a direct connection to the mmorpg I have been talking about here. It is not my intention to advertise per say. Just some information for people who have been following my threads about TTS. I also want to bring some attention to Glest and GAE themsleves as a fabulous example of free RTS games, hence posting in the PC Gaming area. Glest itself is a complete although small game as well as an engine and GAE has both that game, with improved features, and quite a few excellent mods. If you can think of a forum more appropriate for this post, I will not be upset if you want to move it.

 

So although in the Pub I have been talking about making my own MMORPG/RTS game currently I am pretty focused on making a mod, and possible a fork of the Glest Advanced Engine. GAE is essentially a freeware RTS engine with a decent modding community. Recently it has had a drop in Dev time and the MegaGlest fork of the original Glest engine has been getting a lot of Dev time, but even so GAE has more of the features I want already installed.

In any case I am producing a fairly large mod for GAE which has many virtual world features. And if you have read my posts in the Pub you know I am obsessed about virtual worlds.

GAE was designed specifically for mods and forks and community developing and for that reason the XML and LUA tools give you a lot of control over your mod. However I will probably have to update the C++ code to support some of my features.

My mod is designed to use the largest map that the GAE code can support. Essentially you play an avatar of an ascendant being tasked by that being with protecting the world. You control both a hero character, probably the best way to imagine this is by thinking about heroes in Warlords Battlecry, however there are no races and classes and you are free to follow the tech tree wherever you want to go.

The tech tree is quite different to the standard tree. It contains thousands of hidden upgrades and spells and abilities.

You start out with a basic level of knowledge. You have a castle/keep/thingie and some sword units and archers. You also have a number of peasant characters.

There are 2 major ways to advance your capabilities. The first is that you must give resources and military aid to the other factions/kingdoms/guilds in the game. You gain a relationship with them at which point they may give you things or you may request new knowledge. Gifts are spontaenous and somewhat random but requests work on a typical faction point system.

The second method is to pick an area of knowledge you are already aware of and have your hero "study" it. You will gain various bonuses. You will advance in the area you choose to study, unlocking new abilities in that area. You may also gain knowledge in related areas. Further if you get two skills with a relationship to a certain point you may open a new area.

Your overarching goal is to defend an assault on the world by evil armies summoned by an ancient enemy of your master.

 

Why am I posting this on an MMORPG forum? Well this game will be the first introduction to the roleplaying IP I am using for Ten Thousand Suns. Indeed the name is related to the IP, CotTs: Children of the Thousand Suns.

Furthermore the gameplay and concepts are to some degree similar to TTS although TTS will have players in the positions that this game has NPCs. Additionally this is related to TTS in that it will be a somewhat useful demonstration of my game design skills, which certain posters have been calling me out on, and it is also a way for me to get some extra coding on areas where I am not so great, for instance I will have to rewrite the GAE multiplayer code to support up to 16 players for the multiplayer version of the scenario.

There is one other thing. Glest and GAE and MG are good examples of the kind of game design that I really support. Not only Glest, GAE, and MG are freeware with standard CC and GPL licensing terms, but of course my game will have to be as well, because that is one of the requirements of designing with Glest and its derivatives.

Furthermore this means that all 3 of those systems, and my own version are absolutely free. Indeed it would be illegal for me to try and make a profit off my mod/fork.